A familiar set of silks returned to the fore in an appropriate outcome to the Hong Kong Jockey Club 130th Anniversary Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin racecourse today, Saturday, 10 January.
This was as Key Witness landed the spoils for the old partnership of owner Archie da Silva and trainer Tony Cruz.
Da Silva’s black with green cross-belts gained global fame when Hong Kong’s greatest, Silent Witness, conquered all-comers in a phenomenal 17-race unbeaten streak, orchestrated by Cruz. The old champion is these days happily ensconced at Living Legends in Australia but a bronze statue looks down from the public concourse onto Sha Tin’s home straight, a perpetual reminder of his status as Hong Kong’s incomparable one.
Key Witness will never match the achievements of Silent Witness but the four-year-old carved his own slice of history in tandem with another of Hong Kong racing’s greats, 13-time champion jockey Douglas Whyte.
The South African annexed his second cup race in as many meetings following his HKG3 January Cup success on Wednesday night. And just as three days ago, Whyte enjoyed a dream run, tracking the pace, awaiting his moment to strike.
That instant came at around the 300m mark when Whyte shifted his mount outward from the two-wide position to sling-shot past Precision King and the rail-running pace-setter California Bounty. Key Witness, carrying joint top-weight of 131lb, quickened to an outright lead with a furlong remaining and drew away for a length and a half success in a time of 1m 09.52s.
Precision King, from the Benno Yung stable, boxed on to hold second while the John Moore-trained Let Me Go ran on for third under Joao Moreira.
Cruz, a product of the HKJC Apprentice Jockeys School’s very first graduating class, a five-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey and twice Champion Trainer, was delighted to have won the day’s landmark feature.
“This is like a blessing for me, it’s like it was meant to be that the horse won this race today. It’s just great to see the Silent Witness colours winning the race that celebrates 130 years of the Jockey Club,” he said.
“Last time we were upset when he was beaten right on the wire but today everything went according to plan. It’s a big cup race and he’s won it very convincingly. Dougie Whyte rode the perfect race – this time he waited longer to press the button and the horse quickened really nicely to go on and win it.”
HKSAR Chief Executive C Y Leung presented the winning trophy to da Silva.
Over 74,000 race-goers at Hong Kong’s racecourses basked beneath bright sunshine and enjoyed the 130th Anniversary Raceday’s celebratory atmosphere. The meeting was held to mark the founding of the Hong Kong Jockey Club back in 1884, the 2014/2015 season being the club’s 130th.
Whyte was in double-winning form as he also took the day’s Class 1 contest, the Commitment And Caring Handicap (1200m) on the all-weather track, aboard Master Kochanwong. The David Hall-trained five-year-old was notching his fourth Hong Kong win, all at the course and distance, from 11 starts.
Moreira was on the mark thrice thanks to the John Moore-trained Happy Moments in Race 2, the Tony Millard-trained Soul Achiever in Race 5 and the John Size-trained Red Dancer in Race 9 for one of the Jockey Club’s former Chairmen, the Hon. Ronald Arculli. The Brazilian brought up his half century for the season as he took his tally to 51 and extended his lead in the title race to 13 over the suspended Zac Purton.
